Revise the Carbon Neutral Roadmap

WQ.186/2026

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE

AND FISHERIES

BY DEPUTY H.L. JEUNE OF ST. JOHN, ST. LAWRENCE AND TRINITY QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 5th OCTOBER 2026

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 12th OCTOBER 2026

Question

"In relation to the commitment within the Proposed Common Strategic Policy 2026-2030 to revise the Carbon Neutral Roadmap, will the Minister advise –

1. the proposed process for updating the Roadmap and the date on which a revised version will be presented;
2. how the update process differs from the original and whether a Citizens' Assembly or equivalent will be held and, if not, why not;
3. the proposed stakeholders to be involved in the revision and how their views will be recorded and published;
4. the measures to be used to determine whether a policy is "practical" and "affordable", including whether affordability will be assessed for households, businesses, public finances or all three; what cost or distributional thresholds will apply, and whether the long-term cost of not acting will be included in that assessment;
5. which evidence in the current Roadmap is no longer fit for purpose, what new evidence will be commissioned including who will produce it and whether it will be published;
6. the estimated amount required for the revised Roadmap and any measures to be taken to increase the Climate Emergency Fund; and
7. whether the 2030 interim emissions target will be kept?"

Answer

1. the proposed process for updating the Roadmap and the date on which a revised version

will be presented;

A.  The Minister for the Environment is currently working with ministerial colleagues to agree

the policies that will form the revised Carbon Neutral Roadmap (CNR) and delivery plan for 2027-2030. This will be published by the end of Q1 2027.

2. how the update process differs from the original and whether a Citizens' Assembly or equivalent will be held and, if not, why not;

A.  The revised CNR will not revisit the evidence base or alter the overall strategic direction,

which remains achieving net zero by 2050. A Citizens' Assembly will not be held as the strategic direction has not changed and the time and cost of a Citizens' Assembly are therefore not felt to be proportionate.

Officer time and the Climate Emergency Fund will be used on the practical transition away from fossil fuels rather than on further deliberations and as such the revision will focus on the 2027-2030 policy delivery plan.

The Climate Council was convened and published their report in 2025 and their findings, including  from  a  public  survey,  are  feeding  into  the  revised  plan.  In  line  with  the discussions with the Council concerning the fact that the first delivery plan was too complex and wide-reaching, the revision will be for a simpler and more focussed action plan that prioritises the key policies. The intent is that a simpler, more focussed programme can reduce governance and administration overheads, be more effective and deliver more value for money.

3. the proposed stakeholders to be involved in the revision and how their views will be recorded and published;

A.  Extensive stakeholder engagement undertaken as part of the active workstreams across

2022-2026 are feeding into the delivery plan for 2027-2030. These include activities such as the long-standing heating industry engagement programme, the Policy Centre Jersey waste event, petrol and diesel phase out consultation, ongoing engagement work on waste and recycling and sustainable transport and regular Energy Suppliers Group meetings, amongst other things.

In addition, the Climate Council completed extensive stakeholder and public engagement, and their  report is informing the revised workstream.

4. the measures to be used to determine whether a policy is "practical" and "affordable", including whether affordability will be assessed for households, businesses, public finances or all three; what cost or distributional thresholds will apply, and whether the long-term cost of not acting will be included in that assessment;

A.  In order to agree the policies in the revised CNR I will be asking officers to provide

sufficient  evidence  that  the  policy  can  be  implemented  effectively  with  available capabilities, is clear and deliverable, and can be delivered within the funding available through the Climate Emergency Fund.

Its costs should be proportionate to its expected benefits and should not place unreasonable burdens on government, businesses or households. It will also need to demonstrate its effectiveness in terms of delivering carbon reductions per pound spent, or indirectly through  its  enabling  impact  (e.g.  education  and  awareness  campaigns).  I  will  also specifically look at the impact of policies on low-income households and other key sectors to ensure alignment with the principle of a Just Transition.

The long-term cost to the economy of not acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and incurring the costs of adapting to a changing climate remains a key consideration driving our decarbonisation plans.

5. which evidence in the current Roadmap is no longer fit for purpose, what new evidence will be commissioned including who will produce it and whether it will be published;

A.  The revised CNR will not revisit the evidence base or alter the overall strategic direction,

which remains achieving net zero by 2050.

The key additional piece of evidence is the Island's greenhouse gas model which has been revised inhouse by officers to understand the potential carbon reduction impact of proposed policies and this tool will used to explore the likely impact of different combinations of proposed policies and inform the most cost-effective decarbonisation programme.

The previous Environment Minister made the decision that we would not be purchasing carbon offsets as part of our decarbonisation strategy (see sequestration and offset update) and therefore carbon neutrality at 2030 is no longer a target. Any part of the evidence base that references the policies and cost of carbon neutrality by 2030 are therefore redundant.

6. the estimated amount required for the revised Roadmap and any measures to be taken to increase the Climate Emergency Fund; and

A.  The policies identified in the revised roadmap for delivery in 2027-2030 will be achievable

within  the  current  Climate  Emergency  Fund  envelope.   This  is  forecast  to  have approximately £4m per year income that arises from the 9p / litre fuel duty hypothecation into the Climate Emergency fund.

Budget 2027 identifies work planned to review a replacement for fuel duty in recognition that fuel  duty receipts are decreasing with the transition to electric vehicles.

7. whether the 2030 interim emissions target will be kept?"

A.  The Climate Council report found that the interim emission reduction targets for 2030 and

2035 of 68% and 78% from 1990 levels were now out of reach for the Island but that net zero by 2050 remained achievable. The focus for the revised Carbon Neutral Roadmap will therefore be the long-term changes needed between now and 2050 to reach the overarching target of net zero. This remains a challenging and ambitious target.